FOOTBALL

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John Madden, the beefy, exuberant Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders who became one of America's best-known TV sports announcers and lent his name to a wildly successful football video game franchise, died on Tuesday at age 85, the National Football League (NFL) said.

The league said he died "unexpectedly" but did not provide further details.

Madden, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, brought unbridled enthusiasm and a sense of fun to NFL games during a three-decade broadcasting career. He was the master of onomatopoeia, using terms like "boom," "whap" and "doink" to explain football plays to viewers.

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Nevertheless, Joe Burrow became part of NFL history. Bengals' quarterback had the fourth-best performance in a single game.

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Without the Dallas Cowboys being active in NFL Week 16, the team has accomplished two major goals, making the playoffs and being crowned NFC East Division champions.

Last Thursday, after the Tennessee Titans' agonizing win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Cowboys punched the second ticket in the NFC to the elimination games, after the Green Bay Packers punched it for themselves a week earlier.

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CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Burrow threw for a franchise-record 525 yards and four touchdowns, and the Cincinnati Bengals took sole possession of first place in the AFC North with a 41-21 win over the depleted Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Burrow, the second-year QB who broke Boomer Esiason’s team record of 522 yards, was 37 of 46 and threw two touchdown passes to Tee Higgins and one each to Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon as the Bengals (9-6) swept the Ravens for the first time since 2015. Cincinnati won 41-17 at Baltimore on Oct. 24.

Tee Higgins had 12 receptions for a career-high 194 yards. Ja’Marr Chase caught seven for 125 yards, and Boyd had three catches for 85 yards.

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Top-ranked Alabama arrived Sunday in North Texas without offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien or offensive line coach Doug Marrone, but coach Nick Saban expected both assistants to make it for the playoff semifinal game at the Cotton Bowl. He said there were no known COVID-19 issues among players.

The Crimson Tide said last Wednesday that O’Brien and Marrone had tested positive for the coronavirus and were isolating with mild symptoms.

Saban said Sunday that both coaches were doing well back in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and would participate in meetings and practice via Zoom until they could join the team before Friday’s game against Cincinnati.